This meaning of awful describes something very bad or unpleasant. People use it to show strong dislike or discomfort.
The food tasted awful and was cold.
She had an awful headache all day.
Here, awful means something is very powerful or impressive and may cause fear or respect. It is often used in formal or literary language.
The awful power of the storm scared us.
He showed an awful strength in the battle.
In everyday speech, awful can mean something done badly or of low quality. It shows that the speaker does not like it.
He did an awful job on the test.
That movie was awful to watch.
In older or poetic texts, awful describes things that inspire great respect or wonder because they are large or majestic. This use is less common today.
The awful beauty of the mountains amazed us.
The king rules with awful majesty.
Sometimes awful is used before adjectives or adverbs to mean very or extremely. This is common in spoken English but considered informal.
You look awful tired today.
It’s an awful long way to walk.
